Band of Brothers: A New Perspective on Jacob and Esau in Their Formative Years
by Lily A.
Introduction:
A person's teenage years are said to be among the most important times of one's life. They shape character, sometimes determine what is to come in the future, and without fail, make or break very important relationships in someone's life. The importance of family, of course, cannot be overstated in dealing with the development of a teenager. Oddly, although family dominates the book of Genesis as a near-constant theme, the teenage years of the various forefathers remain largely undiscussed. Through the author's personal interpretation of the Bible, she has come to the conclusion that perhaps the authors of Genesis were rather embarrassed at the forefathers' teenage behavior. By means of the Conversations that Never Happened wiki-project, she has taken the personal liberty of trying to show just what the author, or perhaps authors, left out of Genesis: the fragile relations between brothers Jacob and Esau, which were tense from the very beginning, especially after the blossoming of Jacob's musical career.
Script:
Esau (S. E): Heeeeey, Jacob... I heard about your new project. Jacob (L. A): Hmmm? Oh... it's you. Esau: YEAH!
Jacob: (beat) Okay then. (awkward silence) Esau: Jacob, can I be the singer? Jacob: The singer in what?
Esau: The singer in your new band!
Jacob: ...who told you about my new band?
Esau: Dad.
Jacob: Oh dear. That's a little... unfortunate.
Esau: Why? Do you already have a singer? I can bang rocks together.
Jacob: No, it's... okay. Don't bother.
Esau: No, Jacob! I want to!
Jacob: Well, I'm just not too sure I can do that.
Esau: W-why not?
Jacob: Just because, Esau. That's all you need to know. Just because. Okay?
Esau: I still don't get it.
Jacob: You don't get ANYTHING!
Esau: I can sing though!
Jacob: No... no, you can't, really.
Esau: Well... YOU can't kill and skin a deer in TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES! I CAN!!
Jacob: ...because isn't that exactly how I'd like to spend my time.
Esau: Listen, it gets you food! You're NEVER going to eat if you become a musician!!!
Jacob: I'll get the girls though! I'm gonna be a star!
Esau: I want the girls too... that's why I want to be in the band!
Jacob: But...
Esau: BUT WHAT? You can't keep me out! Dad isn't gonna let that happen!!
Jacob: But Esau... you can't stop hunting.
Esau: I WILL! I'M GONNA BE A SINGER!
Jacob: But if you do, then how will the rest of us ever survive? We can't survive anything without you holding a spear!
Esau: I don't like spears...
Jacob: Talk about glamour! You can... hunt deer, and... hunt goats... and hunt rabbits... and hunt... other furry things, and... you can.... skin them... and you can... uhhh... eat them...
Esau: That's not glamour! I WANNA SING! AND BANG ROCKS TOGETHER! Make music!! (starts singing badly)
Jacob: But Esau! Listen... if you get into the music industry, no one else would have a chance! I didn't want to bolster your ego too much by telling you that, but that's the truth. You're just too good. And you... don't you want other people to have a chance too? Like your darling younger brother? Please?
Esau: Well... then I don't get the girls...
Jacob: Of course you do! You just get to say that you're my big brother! They'll love you! And since you'll have given up your big chance to me, they'll see just how compassionate you are!
Esau: Wow... you're right!!
Jacob: Yeah, exactly! So... why don't you go kill something, and celebrate your good fortune?
Esau: Okay! Thank you Jacob! I'm gonna go be a star!! Jacob: Ooookay... that's good. They'll LOVE you, Esau!
Project Outline:
Dialogue Analysis:
Because Jacob possesses the ability to hide his true intentions by manipulation, he is able to get people to do what he wants, and believe that they are being helped when in fact they are only being used. When Jacob is trying to get Esau out of his band, he asks him, "then how will the rest of us ever survive. . . anything without you holding a spear?" (Armstrong, 29). This is clearly a direct attempt of Jacob's to convince Esau to abandon his musical dreams in favor of his more earthy, primitive hunting talent so that Jacob can get all the attention he wants in the music industry. Jacob cleverly disguises this as a compliment, using Esau's moronic nature to his advantage. He manipulates him shamelessly here, sounding as though he is being adoring and complimentary, looking out for his older brother, although in truth, he is only looking out for himself.
Jacob's methods achieve success in not only achieving his original goals. Not only does Esau agree not to join the band, but he also feels gratitude towards Jacob for steering him in the right direction, naively saying "Thank you Jacob! I'm gonna go be a star!!" (Armstrong 40).It is clear that Esau believes that Jacob truly tries to help him, although in actuality, Jacob only tries to help himself. Given Jacob's technique of manipulation, Esau cannot see that he is being used. Jacob's skill has become watertight with refinement, allowing Jacob to convince people (in this example, his older brother) to do what he wants them to, always as result of his personal gain.
The Final Product, or Character Analyses:
Esau’s behavior in Genesis, especially his verbal clumsiness, is a good indicator of his moronic nature. After he comes back hungry from a hunt, he asks his brother Jacob for some food. Jacob accepts on the condition that Esau gives him his birthright. Esau foolishly accepts, thinking only of the offering of food instead of the obvious long-term idiocy of giving up his inheritance, and father Isaac’s blessing. The text explains clearly that, “Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew and he . . . went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright” (Gen. 25:34). The use of the word “despised” seems intentional, perhaps to intensify the meaning of the passage. With one word, it exhibits not only Esau’s carelessness and stupidity, but a hatred of the birthright which (had he kept it) would’ve given him a larger share of his family’s fortune, and a blessing from his father. The reason for this could lie in Esau’s pure resentment of his privileges, but it seems more likely that it is simply Esau’s moronism that disallows him to see the value of his birthright. Many say that what people do not understand, they are inclined to dislike, and given that Esau clearly does not understand his privilege as the firstborn son until he has already given it away, he can be interpreted as truly hating it. Esau’s moronity contributes to Genesis primarily as a foil to what is presented as Jacob’s intelligence. The younger brother’s scheming ways juxtapose with the older brother’s unintelligence to advance the character of the former in a very advanced way.
Esau also comes across as a very brutish character, as demonstrated in George Fredrick Watts’ 1878 painting, entitled “Jacob and Esau.” This painting illustrates Jacob and Esau meeting for the first time after Jacob steals the blessing for the firstborn and runs away. The brothers’ tentative, but joyous reunion is pictured, with Esau awkwardly leaning in to embrace Jacob, who almost appears to be holding back in wise restraint. The specific thing in this painting that suggests Esau’s brutishness is his posture. He seems to be almost overpowering Jacob, putting his arms around his shoulders, and nearly standing on his foot. He appears as hulking, animal-like, and bulky, a near-definition of the brutishness he embodies. As well as the action of the character in the painting though, simply the physique that Watts has given makes for a very clumsy-looking individual.
George Fredrick Watts’ painting, “Jacob and Esau” from 1878 shows the pious façade, Jacob has, which in many places in the Bible allows him to be very manipulative, successfully achieving what he wants . In contrast to Esau’s clumsy, hulking, awkward stance, Jacob appears almost weak and fragile. Despite this appearance, his expression is exceedingly holier-than-thou and sanctimonious, somewhat appropriately. His face shows slightly detached arrogance that could almost be interpreted as caring, but is just enough removed that it says something very different. He stands as if protecting himself from his brother, arms outstretched as if to implore Esau not to hurt him. Jacob’s illusion of piety, given that it proves to be highly successful, allows him the ability to get away with more than any other character in the bible. Jacob lies, cheats, steals, and is involved in many a complex moral dilemma, in which he tends to choose the wrong thing. His pious exterior enables him to do so while maintaining his ability to be looked up to as a forefather. In terms of the whole work of Genesis, this deception makes Jacob a far more interesting character, although it does make him significantly more flawed. In his imperfection though, Jacob is exceedingly human. An average person has difficulty looking up to someone as devout as Noah or Abraham. Instead, Jacob provides a more attainable role model.
Jacob’s pious demeanor gives him the freedom to be as manipulative as he chooses to be. This is made clear in Genesis, after Esau comes back from a long hunt, and when exhausted, makes Jacob a simple request, “’Give me some of that red stuff, for I am famished.’ ‘First, sell me your birthright.’” (Gen. 25:30-25:31) The word “first”, although incredibly simple, is used to show Jacob’s crafty intelligence. The word is used to set the atmosphere of the line, the quick but careful deliberation that Jacob uses to make Esau surrender his precious birthright. The writer or writers of the Bible use the word “first,” just one simple syllable, both to promise Esau the meal of his desire, but also make him wait just a little while longer, long enough to act impetuously in selling the birthright for something as trivial as a meal. This scene marks the beginning of Jacob’s transformation, in which his sanctimonious exterior begins to peel away to reveal a much more devious, cunning exterior. The writers of the bible probably use this means of characterization to show that nobody, not even the patriarchs, are immune to temptation and wrong-doing, and that nobody can be completely perfect, even if they appear to be. It brings Genesis down to a more human level, especially interesting considering that it is a book specifically concerned with the divine. About George Frederick Watts:
George Frederick Watts is sometimes called, "The Last Great Victorian," a name which suits him excellently. Inspired by Renaissance-era Italian painters and sculptors, Watts took up art in the late 1820s when he was about ten years old. He is considered one of the foremost symbolic painters of the Victorian era, often painting with a religious or metaphorical theme, although he did sometimes foray into more realistic painting and portraiture. Well-respected in his era, he was given an esteemed Order Of Merit award during his lifetime. After producing a large body of work, both in painting and sculpture, Watts died in England at the age of eighty-seven.
Reflection:
This project taught me about being organized, managing my time, and optimizing my style in analytical writing. Since the commencement of this project back in March, I feel as though I have improved vastly. My reasoning has become more sound, my arguments more convincing, my style stronger. Although I don't know if it is this project, per se, that has improved me, I feel as though my improvement is evident at least from the first draft of my character analysis paragraphs to my second draft. I still think that I need work on my analytical writing, but my work on this project makes me think that I have come a long way, not only since the beginning of this year, but the beginning of this semester.
Band of Brothers: A New Perspective on Jacob and Esau in Their Formative Years
by Lily A.
Introduction:
A person's teenage years are said to be among the most important times of one's life. They shape character, sometimes determine what is to come in the future, and without fail, make or break very important relationships in someone's life. The importance of family, of course, cannot be overstated in dealing with the development of a teenager. Oddly, although family dominates the book of Genesis as a near-constant theme, the teenage years of the various forefathers remain largely undiscussed. Through the author's personal interpretation of the Bible, she has come to the conclusion that perhaps the authors of Genesis were rather embarrassed at the forefathers' teenage behavior. By means of the Conversations that Never Happened wiki-project, she has taken the personal liberty of trying to show just what the author, or perhaps authors, left out of Genesis: the fragile relations between brothers Jacob and Esau, which were tense from the very beginning, especially after the blossoming of Jacob's musical career.
Script:
Esau (S. E): Heeeeey, Jacob... I heard about your new project.
Jacob (L. A): Hmmm? Oh... it's you.
Esau: YEAH!
Jacob: (beat) Okay then. (awkward silence)
Esau: Jacob, can I be the singer?
Jacob: The singer in what?
Esau: The singer in your new band!
Jacob: ...who told you about my new band?
Esau: Dad.
Jacob: Oh dear. That's a little... unfortunate.
Esau: Why? Do you already have a singer? I can bang rocks together.
Jacob: No, it's... okay. Don't bother.
Esau: No, Jacob! I want to!
Jacob: Well, I'm just not too sure I can do that.
Esau: W-why not?
Jacob: Just because, Esau. That's all you need to know. Just because. Okay?
Esau: I still don't get it.
Jacob: You don't get ANYTHING!
Esau: I can sing though!
Jacob: No... no, you can't, really.
Esau: Well... YOU can't kill and skin a deer in TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES! I CAN!!
Jacob: ...because isn't that exactly how I'd like to spend my time.
Esau: Listen, it gets you food! You're NEVER going to eat if you become a musician!!!
Jacob: I'll get the girls though! I'm gonna be a star!
Esau: I want the girls too... that's why I want to be in the band!
Jacob: But...
Esau: BUT WHAT? You can't keep me out! Dad isn't gonna let that happen!!
Jacob: But Esau... you can't stop hunting.
Esau: I WILL! I'M GONNA BE A SINGER!
Jacob: But if you do, then how will the rest of us ever survive? We can't survive anything without you holding a spear!
Esau: I don't like spears...
Jacob: Talk about glamour! You can... hunt deer, and... hunt goats... and hunt rabbits... and hunt... other furry things, and... you can.... skin them... and you can... uhhh... eat them...
Esau: That's not glamour! I WANNA SING! AND BANG ROCKS TOGETHER! Make music!! (starts singing badly)
Jacob: But Esau! Listen... if you get into the music industry, no one else would have a chance! I didn't want to bolster your ego too much by telling you that, but that's the truth. You're just too good. And you... don't you want other people to have a chance too? Like your darling younger brother? Please?
Esau: Well... then I don't get the girls...
Jacob: Of course you do! You just get to say that you're my big brother! They'll love you! And since you'll have given up your big chance to me, they'll see just how compassionate you are!
Esau: Wow... you're right!!
Jacob: Yeah, exactly! So... why don't you go kill something, and celebrate your good fortune?
Esau: Okay! Thank you Jacob! I'm gonna go be a star!!
Jacob: Ooookay... that's good. They'll LOVE you, Esau!
Project Outline:
Dialogue Analysis:
Because Jacob possesses the ability to hide his true intentions by manipulation, he is able to get people to do what he wants, and believe that they are being helped when in fact they are only being used. When Jacob is trying to get Esau out of his band, he asks him, "then how will the rest of us ever survive. . . anything without you holding a spear?" (Armstrong, 29). This is clearly a direct attempt of Jacob's to convince Esau to abandon his musical dreams in favor of his more earthy, primitive hunting talent so that Jacob can get all the attention he wants in the music industry. Jacob cleverly disguises this as a compliment, using Esau's moronic nature to his advantage. He manipulates him shamelessly here, sounding as though he is being adoring and complimentary, looking out for his older brother, although in truth, he is only looking out for himself.
Jacob's methods achieve success in not only achieving his original goals. Not only does Esau agree not to join the band, but he also feels gratitude towards Jacob for steering him in the right direction, naively saying "Thank you Jacob! I'm gonna go be a star!!" (Armstrong 40).It is clear that Esau believes that Jacob truly tries to help him, although in actuality, Jacob only tries to help himself. Given Jacob's technique of manipulation, Esau cannot see that he is being used. Jacob's skill has become watertight with refinement, allowing Jacob to convince people (in this example, his older brother) to do what he wants them to, always as result of his personal gain.
The Final Product, or Character Analyses:
Esau’s behavior in Genesis, especially his verbal clumsiness, is a good indicator of his moronic nature. After he comes back hungry from a hunt, he asks his brother Jacob for some food. Jacob accepts on the condition that Esau gives him his birthright. Esau foolishly
Esau also comes across as a very brutish character, as demonstrated in George Fredrick Watts’ 1878 painting, entitled “Jacob and Esau.” This painting illustrates Jacob and Esau meeting for the first time after Jacob steals the blessing for the firstborn and runs away. The brothers’ tentative, but joyous reunion is pictured, with Esau awkwardly leaning in to embrace Jacob, who almost appears to be holding back in wise restraint. The specific thing in this painting that suggests Esau’s brutishness is his posture. He seems to be almost overpowering Jacob, putting his arms around his shoulders, and nearly standing on his foot. He appears as hulking, animal-like, and bulky, a near-definition of the brutishness he embodies. As well as the action of the character in the painting though, simply the physique that Watts has given makes for a very clumsy-looking individual.
George Fredrick Watts’ painting, “Jacob and Esau” from 1878 shows the pious façade, Jacob has, which in many places in the Bible allows him to be very manipulative, successfully achieving what he wants . In contrast to Esau’s clumsy, hulking, awkward stance, Jacob appears almost weak and fragile. Despite this appearance, his expression is exceedingly holier-than-thou and sanctimonious, somewhat appropriately. His face shows slightly detached arrogance that could almost be interpreted as caring, but is just enough removed that it says something very different. He stands as if protecting himself from his brother, arms outstretched as if to implore Esau not to hurt him. Jacob’s illusion of piety, given that it proves to be highly successful, allows him the ability to get away with more than any other character in the bible. Jacob lies, cheats, steals, and is involved in many a complex moral dilemma, in which he tends to choose the wrong thing. His pious exterior enables him to do so while maintaining his ability to be looked up to as a forefather. In terms of the whole work of Genesis, this deception makes Jacob a far more interesting character, although it does make him significantly more flawed. In his imperfection though, Jacob is exceedingly human. An average person has difficulty looking up to someone as devout as Noah or Abraham. Instead, Jacob provides a more attainable role model.
Jacob’s pious demeanor gives him the freedom to be as manipulative as he chooses to be. This is made clear in Genesis, after Esau comes back from a long hunt, and when exhausted, makes Jacob a simple request, “’Give me some of that red stuff, for I am famished.’ ‘First, sell me your birthright.’” (Gen. 25:30-25:31) The word “first”, although incredibly simple, is used to show Jacob’s crafty intelligence. The word is used to set the atmosphere of the line, the quick but careful deliberation that Jacob uses to make Esau surrender his precious birthright. The writer or writers of the Bible use the word “first,” just one simple syllable, both to promise Esau the meal of his desire, but also make him wait just a little while longer, long enough to act impetuously in selling the birthright for something as trivial as a meal. This scene marks the beginning of Jacob’s transformation, in which his sanctimonious exterior begins to peel away to reveal a much more devious, cunning exterior. The writers of the bible probably use this means of characterization to show that nobody, not even the patriarchs, are immune to temptation and wrong-doing, and that nobody can be completely perfect, even if they appear to be. It brings Genesis down to a more human level, especially interesting considering that it is a book specifically concerned with the divine.
About George Frederick Watts:
Reflection:
This project taught me about being organized, managing my time, and optimizing my style in analytical writing. Since the commencement of this project back in March, I feel as though I have improved vastly. My reasoning has become more sound, my arguments more convincing, my style stronger. Although I don't know if it is this project, per se, that has improved me, I feel as though my improvement is evident at least from the first draft of my character analysis paragraphs to my second draft. I still think that I need work on my analytical writing, but my work on this project makes me think that I have come a long way, not only since the beginning of this year, but the beginning of this semester.
1. "George Frederick Watts Biography." www.GeorgeFrederickWatts.org. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.georgefredericwatts.org/
biography.html>.
2.Watts, George Frederick. Jacob and Esau. 1878. www.georgefrederickwatts.org.
Web. 10 Mar. 2010. <http://www.georgefredericwatts.org/
Jacob-and-Esau,-1878.html>.
3.Bass Guitar. N.d. bassguitars.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010.
<http://www.bassguitars.us/>.
4. George Frederick Watts. Self Portrait. 1864. Oil Painting.
<http://hoocher.com/George_Frederick_Watts/George_Frederick_Watts.htm>.
5. Lentil Soup. N.d. www.all-creatures.org. The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family
Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/
soup-lentil-pic.html>.